Competition

COMPETITIVE CROQUET by Karen Weihs I have two passions I participate in doing daily. Painting and Competitive Croquet. To be a better croquet player, I compete in tournaments. Singles and Doubles. I play doubles with my husband, Chris, who is more competitive than I am, so it drives me to be better. Here is what I have found to be interesting in choosing these two interests that are similar. People like me who are drawn to "achieve our best," constantly use exploration as a constant. Practice, discipline and a personal goal make a full day. Repetition makes us happy. Making something work out drives us. And often it's the journey and not the outcome that becomes the focus. Sure it’s nice to get a painting award or a croquet trophy, but really, it's about the path we choose. Starting out to play croquet was just like skill development with my painting. Each session builds. Each mistake holds. Each exploration of task excites. Most people give up after painting becomes too hard. I feel that would happen with croquet as well. But there is that human element we all have to conquer, the building of a relationship with the task. Musicians, chefs and all athletes have this need to build that relationship. And continue the journey. I notice one thing the professional croquet players have in common is “stalking” the ball from a far distance much like an artist walking back 10-20 feet to see each move during the painting progress. Players miss and resume. Fault and regroup. Painters destroy and repair, scrape and repaint. When the level gets to a more advanced stage, it's the spiritual voice that keeps resounding, that inner voice of intuitive teaching and mental quiet. A most peaceful bonding with the spirit of accomplishment starts to happen. I study the painting moves in museums, galleries and my own studio. I sleep on the moves and wake to act on the mind's absorption of each move. What starts to happen is a simple confidence and what starts not to happen is a complete confidence, so it becomes a yin-yang involvement. A wabi-sabi. Wabi-sabi is the study of imperfection. The aesthetic is sometime described as one of appreciating beauty that is imperfect, impermanent, and incomplete in nature. (One day greatness, and the next brokenness or humbleness, in competition). Wabi-sabi is the concept derived from the Buddhist teaching of the three marks of existence, specifically impermanence, suffering, and emptiness or absence of self-nature. What is broken is beautiful. What is possible, is amazing. What you can't do is compare. Comparison kills competition. There is always room for you. No one can do it with your moves, your experience, your insight. You have to make and continue your own moves. Looking at live competitions of croquet is very exciting. I learn more from watching the matches that I can take to the lawn. I also learn more watching artists paint that I can take with me to my easel. Croquet has been a nostalgic childhood activity and so has painting. Taking it to a higher level is a choice for a lifetime of quality adventure. And being happy with dabbling at it is fine too. I have always seen my art as in a state of becoming. I feel that way too about getting my croquet game to a higher level. "Becoming," said deceased artist Paul Klee, is "superior to being.” Wayne Thiebaud, a remarkable life-long painter of cake, pie, ice cream still lifes recently died, still painted till 101 years old. Think of soda fountain nostalgia and Wayne Thiebaud nailed it in his work. He was an inspiring teacher as well and articulated the painting process clearly in his words, (which can also be applied to croquet): "Painting is a wonderful combination of memory, imagination, and direct observation. A lot has to do with yearning. Primarily, what I'm interested in and always have been is this wonderful, personally involving search to find out all I can about painting, to be willing to take risks, and try things that don't seem to be logical, and find out how my feelings and experiences as a boy growing up in America can be reflected in a painting." - Wayne Thiebaud Competition is personal if that is a choice. Competing with yourself is healthy for your personal best. If it annoys you, then move on. Truly it’s just fun to even try.  ====================================================================